Twenty-four of the world’s best Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CSGO) teams land in Germany this weekend for the start of the StarLadder Berlin Major 2019.
This will be the 15th Valve-sponsored CSGO major championship since the title’s release in 2012.
Coming just six months after 2019’s first and only other major of 2019, the IEM Katowice Major, StarLadder Berlin will pay out a total of $1 million and attract audiences from all over the world.
Get the betting odds on the StarLadder Berlin 2019 and plan your betting strategy.
Setting Up The Stage for CSGO StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
Eight teams are designated the Current Legends and earn a by to the second of two Swiss portions of the tournament.
The five Returning Challengers and the 11 Minor Challengers participate in the first Swiss bracket–The New Challengers Stage.
The eight advancing teams meet the Current Legends in The New Legends Stage.
The eight teams that survive The New Legends Swiss stage advance to a single-elimination, best-of-three bracket to determine the tournament champion.
Current Legends At StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
The eight teams that survived The New Legends Stage at IEM Katowice in February are designated The current Legends at StarLadder Berlin.
They also have the easiest road to The New Champions Stage and are considered tournament favorites.
Leading Teams At StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
Leading the field is Astralis (+285), IEM Katowice champions and quite possibly the most recognizable CSGO team in the world.
Despite their reputation, though, the Danish outfit arrives in Berlin ranked third behind Returning Challenger Team Vitality and fellow Current Legend and top-ranked team in the world, Team Liquid.
Liquid, tournament favorites (+150) at Bovada, placed first in their previous seven tournaments and were crowned Intel Grand Slam winners with a victory at ESL One: Cologne in early July.
ENCE (+1600) is fourth in the world rankings, fresh off a second-place finish at IEM Chicago last month. FaZe Clan (+1600) were second-place finishers at BLAST Pro Series: Los Angeles in July.
Natus Vincere (+425)—ranked sixth—, MIBR (+3000), Renegades (+10000), and Ninjas in Pyjamas (+3300) round out The Current Legends.
Returning Challengers
Headlining the Returning Challengers contingent from IEM Katowice are Team Vitality (+900), who enters play on Friday ranked second in the world.
But with the fourth-best odds to win the tournament outright, success in Berlin is still far away.
G2’s all-French roster is ranked eighth in the world and is +2000 at Bovada to take StarLadder Berlin outright.
AVANGAR (+5000), HellRaisers (+20000) and Complexity (+10000) are the other three Returning challengers.
Minor Challengers
The remaining 11 teams earned bids to StarLadder Berlin via minor qualifying events held regionally.
North Americans NRG (+2500) are world-ranked fifth.
Brazilians FURIA (+2000) and Europeans mousesports (+2000) are also contenders to move on to The New Legends Stage and could make some noise.
Given their precarious position as Minor Challengers, they have little room for error and need to play near-perfect CSGO for even a shot at the title.
Prop Bets on StarLadder Berlin Major 2019
If you’re looking to dip your feet in esports pro betting, CSGO majors are your best opportunity.
Counter-Strike titles are synonymous with eSports gambling given their popularity in Europe, where sports gambling laws are traditionally more relaxed.
Bovada, for example, is offering a wide array of prop and futures bets for StarLadder Berlin.
You can bet on:
- Which map will be played the least or the most
- which teams will go 0-3
- Whether or not a match will go to overtime
- The most AWP kills a single player will get on one map.
If you’re bored of outright and moneyline betting, spice up your gambling selections with one of the many prop bets over at Bovada.
Who Ya Got? Here Are Our Favorites For StarLadder Berlin Majors 2019
The Current Legends have the undeniable advantage of byes to The New Legends stage, totally bypassing The New Challenger Swiss Stage.
They will effectively play half the amount of games as The Returning Challengers and The Minor Challengers, so keep that in mind when placing your bets.
Liquid +150
Make no mistake: Liquid is the heavy favorite in Berlin, but they have to lose sometimes, right?
For anyone thinking they will now let their collective foot off the pedal: think again.
Yes, Liquid have recently won the coveted Grand Slam, but a major championship in 2019 will cement them as one of the great CSGO teams of all time. Liquid will definitely come to play.
Astralis +285
In terms of team strength on paper, Astralis seems like the only real competition for Liquid.
Astralis is the defending major champion, but IEM Katowice was back in February, and since then Liquid has won seven-straight tournaments and the Intel Grand Slam.
Despite not winning at their last four events, Astralis has the opportunity to sweep the 2019 majors and increase their annual winnings to over $1 million.
Natus Vincere +425
Bookmakers favor Natus Vincere as the third favorite, but a 2-0 loss to Liquid in the ESL One: Cologne semis does nothing to boost their hopes of knocking off the world’s highest-ranked team in Berlin.
Vitality +900
Vitality’s prospects would be better if their StarLadder Berlin road didn’t start with The New Challengers Stage.
If—and it’s a big if—they reach the latter rounds of the knockout stages, how much will they have in the tank to take down one of the Current Legends?
Any Dark Horses?
Esports bettors will always look for a fierce underdog to wager on at major tournaments, but don’t expect a surprise winner at StarLadder Berlin: Liquid is on another level right now, and they’re hungry to add to an already exciting year with a major championship.
OUR PICK: Team Liquid (+150)
General Info On StarLadder Berlin 2019
When Will CSGO StarLadder Berlin 2019 Major Start?
- It is set to begin on August 23 at 12:00 PM Berlin Time (GMT +2) running through September 8, 2019.
Who Are The Organizers of CSGO StarLadder Berlin 2019?
- The event is conducted by StarLadder, a Ukranian eSports organizer that has worked with Valve in the past on Dota 2 majors.
How Much Will The Winner of StarLadder Berlin 2019 Make?
- Berlin 2019 will use a Swiss system and payout $500,000 to the champion.
Bet On CSGO StarLadder Berlin Major 2019 At Bovada Sportsbook
For a more in-depth betting guide in all things CS:GO betting, be sure to check out our dedicated hub where our experts have poured the best betting tips from the industry, so you can increase your chances of winning!
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